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Get underway
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Get underway'?
Begin a journey or a project.
What's the origin of the phrase 'Get underway'?
We are familiar with this little expression but, like other idioms that we absorb without question when learning the language, it doesn't make much literal sense. Why 'under'? Why 'way'? It turns out that a confusing of several seafaring words had a bearing on the coining of this nautical phrase.
'Way' doesn't mean here road or route but has the specifically nautical meaning of 'the forward progress of a ship though the water', or the wake that the ship leaves behind. Way has been used like that since at least the 17th century; for example, this piece from Samuel Sturmy's Mariners Magazine, 1669:
"If you sail against a Current, if it be swifter than the Ship's way, you fall a Stern."
This usage continued into the 20th century and was also used in aviation as well as shipping. In 1911, The Times reported:
"He shut off his engine and by so doing took the 'way' off the biplane."
The term 'under sail' and 'underway' appear at first sight to be quite similar. The former seems easy to interpret, as sailing ships are literally under the sails when in motion, but what are we under in 'underway'? That is easier to understand when we know that this 'under' was originally 'on the'. Knowing that, 'on the way' makes sense. 'On the way' migrated to 'underway', probably due to the influence of the Dutch word 'onderweg', which translates into English as 'underway' but to 17th century sailors must have sounded more like 'on the way'.
More confusion enters with doubts over the phrase's spelling. The term 'weigh anchor', and the fact that when ships are loaded with cargo and ready to sail they are weighed down, has led to the phrase being written as 'under weigh'. This a common enough misspelling to have become almost standardised; so much so that, in his 1846 Nautical Dictionary, Arthur Young wrongly suggested that under weigh was in fact the correct original spelling:
"Under way, this expression, often used instead of under weigh, seems to be a convenient one for denoting that a ship or boat is making progress through the water, whether by sails or other motive power."
There seems little to justify it, but Young must have had some success in promoting that view as many prominent 19th century authors, including Thackeray, Herman Melville and Charles Dickens, all spelled the term that way - or should that be that weigh?
The word 'way' is now flourishing as the converse of 'no way', but as 'a ship's progress' it is all but defunct. The loss of the association with shipping has removed the incentive to spell the phrase 'get under weigh' and 'get underway' is now commonly used (although some still prefer to use the two-word form for 'get under way' and reserve the single 'underway for the adjectival 'the underway ship').
See other Nautical Phrases.


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Actor Gene Hackman had given clothes, money and rides to a homeless man whom he slapped this week after the man became aggressive toward the Oscar-winning actor and his wife, according to a police report detailing the incident in Santa Fe, N.M.
Police say Hackman acted in self-defense and no charges have been filed.
Hackman told officers he had helped Bruce Becker, 63, for several years, and Becker told a similar story. But their versions of the actual physical confrontation diverge, with Hackman saying he slapped the man once and Becker saying he was hit 10 to 12 times by the tough-guy actor.
The report released by Santa Fe police said both agreed the incident began when Becker approached Hackman and his wife, Betsy, on a street early Tuesday afternoon and asked for money.
Becker told police Hackman called him a worthless bum and told him to get a job. Hackman said he told Becker to get a job and tried to walk away but Becker kept following him and his wife asking for money and calling them by a derogatory name.
Becker said hetold Hackman, "Gene, you are just another Clint Eastwood, you are nothing but an empty chair," an apparent reference to Eastwood's Republican National Convention appearance this summer. He said that's when Hackman went "ballistic" and began "pummeling" him, he told officers.
Hackman, 82, told police Becker became angry when he refused to give him money, called him a name and moved in close in a threatening manner. The actor told officers that's when he slapped Becker once to fend him off and both fell to the ground.
Hackman and his wife have a home in Santa Fe. He has won two Academy Awards and been nominated for three others over a career that has spanned five decades.
Copyright © 2024 by Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

subset: commoncrawl


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Page Six ran an item today saying Sienna Miller was seen shopping in SoHo with her ex, DJ Slinky Wizard (above right). We got a tip that she was in the store with ex Balthazar Getty (left). What's the difference?
Miller started dating the Wiz (born Geroge Barker) this summer after a controversial relationship with Getty started and ended in 2008 when Getty was estranged from his wife (there were even topless photos of them together) and a relapse this June. The rumor was that Sienna and Slinky broke up while she is in New York on Broadway and Mr. Slinky is spinning away in London, but now Page Six has them back together.
"They seemed very much a couple," said our snitch. "George was talking about how he was excited about their plans for the night."
We don't know who's right, but our snitch says she also saw Sienna shopping at the Only Hearts store in SoHo, but she wasn't with Nobody Beats the Wiz, but with Balthazar Getty. We don't know who is right, and actually it is kinda hard to tell them apart. Either way it makes for some juicy gossip, so we're going to make this one a choose your own adventure. If you want Sienna to start dating Slinky again, turn to page 23. If you want her to get back with Getty, turn to page 53.
[Images via Getty, no relation to Balthazar]


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Panasonic today announced the not-so-secret 12-35mm f/2.8 GX Vario zoom lens for the m4/3 mount. This lens provides m4/3 with its first fast aperture, high-quality mid-range zoom. I've put the full specifications for the new lens in the database section of this site.
The lens was first leaked in late 2011, then shown behind glass in February at the CP+ show in Japan, and now announced, but it won't actually be available until August (and here in the US, we'll probably have another lag in availability as is usual with Panasonic's market-focused distribution). Thus, one is led to say that, while this is news, it's not exactly news you can act on.
Yes, the announcement of this lens (plus the leaks of its unannounced brother, the 35-100mm f/2.8) does indicate that the lens lineup for m4/3 is further filling out and becoming more complete. No, you can't put it in your bag today. Or later this spring. Or this summer. Maybe this fall, depending upon what country you're in.
I expect this to be a very popular and in-demand lens, as coupled with an E-M5 you end up with a very competent setup that can reach into lower light conditions, but with far less bulk and weight than the crop sensor DSLRs, let alone the full frame DSLRs.
Note: there will be some that claim that 12-35mm f/2.8 for m4/3 is the equivalent of the 24-70mm for full frame cameras. From an angle of view perspective, this would be true, but from a DOF perspective it isn't. The 12-35mm shot at f/2.8 will produce about the same picture as the 24-70mm on a Nikon D4 set to f/5.6. In other words, more DOF. See this article on equivalence for more.


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Monumentally influential soul/R&B vocalist whose music incorporated socio-political issues, atmospheric arrangements, and unified album themes. On March 26, 1969, Marvin Gaye was at No.1 on the UK singles chart, with the song 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' which had been released in the US in 1968. The song was first recorded by The Miracles and had also been a million seller in 1967 for Gladys Knight and the Pips.
One of the most gifted, visionary, and enduring talents ever launched into orbit by the Motown hit machine, Marvin Gaye blazed the trail for the continued evolution of popular black music. Moving from lean, powerful R&B to stylish, sophisticated soul to finally arrive at an intensely political and personal form of artistic self-expression, his work not only redefined soul music as a creative force but also expanded its impact as an agent for social change. Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (in the style of his hero Sam Cooke, he added the "e" to his surname as an adult) was born April 2, 1939, in Washington, D.C. The second of three children born to the Reverend Marvin Gay, Sr., an ordained minister in the House of God -- a conservative Christian sect that fuses elements of orthodox Judaism and Pentecostalism, imposes strict codes of conduct, and observes no holidays -- he began singing in church at the age of three, quickly becoming a soloist in the choir. Gaye later took up piano and drums, and music became his escape from the nightmarish realities of his home life -- throughout his childhood, his father beat him on an almost daily basis. After graduating from high school, Gaye enlisted in the U.S. Air Force; upon his discharge, he returned to Washington and began singing in a number of street-corner doo wop groups, eventually joining the Rainbows, a top local attraction. With the help of mentor Bo Diddley, the Rainbows cut "Wyatt Earp," a single for the OKeh label that brought them to the attention of singer Harvey Fuqua, who in 1958 recruited the group to become the latest edition of his backing ensemble, the Moonglows. After relocating to Chicago, the Moonglows recorded a series of singles for Chess, including 1959's "Mama Loocie." While touring the Midwest, the group performed in Detroit, where Gaye's graceful tenor and three-octave vocal range won the interest of fledgling impresario Berry Gordy, Jr., who signed him to the Motown label in 1961. While first working at Motown as a session drummer and playing on early hits by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, he met Gordy's sister Anna, and married her in late 1961. Upon mounting a solo career, Gaye struggled to find his voice, and early singles failed. Finally, his fourth effort, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," became a minor hit in 1962, and his next two singles -- the 1963 dance efforts "Hitch Hike" and "Can I Get a Witness" -- both reached the Top 30. With 1963's "Pride and Joy," Gaye scored his first Top Ten smash, but often found his role as a hitmaker stifling -- his desire to become a crooner of lush romantic ballads ran in direct opposition to Motown's all-important emphasis on chart success, and the ongoing battle between his artistic ambitions and the label's demands for commercial product continued throughout Gaye's long tenure with the company. With 1964's Together, a collection of duets with Mary Wells, Gaye scored his first charting album; the duo also notched a number of hit singles together, including "Once Upon a Time" and "What's the Matter With You, Baby?" As a solo performer, Gaye continued to enjoy great success, scoring three superb Top Ten hits -- "Ain't That Peculiar," "I'll Be Doggone," and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" -- in 1965. In total, he scored some 39 Top 40 singles for Motown, many of which he also wrote and arranged. With Kim Weston, the second of his crucial vocal partners, he also established himself as one of the era's dominant duet singers with the stunning "It Takes Two." However, Gaye's greatest duets were with Tammi Terrell, with whom he scored a series of massive hits penned by the team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, including 1967's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Your Precious Love," followed by 1968's "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By." The team's success was tragically cut short in 1967 when, during a concert appearance in Virginia, Terrell collapsed into Gaye's arms on-stage, the first evidence of a brain tumor that abruptly ended her performing career and finally killed her on March 16, 1970. Her illness and eventual loss left Gaye deeply shaken, marring the chart-topping 1968 success of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," his biggest hit and arguably the pinnacle of the Motown sound. At the same time, Gaye was forced to cope with a number of other personal problems, not the least of which was his crumbling marriage. He also found the material he recorded for Motown to be increasingly irrelevant in the face of the tremendous social changes sweeping the nation, and after scoring a pair of 1969 Top Ten hits with "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" and "That's the Way Love Is," he spent the majority of 1970 in seclusion, resurfacing early the next year with the self-produced What's Going On, a landmark effort heralding a dramatic shift in both content and style that forever altered the face of black music. A highly percussive album that incorporated jazz and classical elements to forge a remarkably sophisticated and fluid soul sound, What's Going On was a conceptual masterpiece that brought Gaye's deeply held spiritual beliefs to the fore to explore issues ranging from poverty and discrimination to the environment, drug abuse, and political corruption; chief among the record's concerns was the conflict in Vietnam, as Gaye structured the songs around the point of view of his brother Frankie, himself a soldier recently returned from combat. The ambitions and complexity of What's Going On baffled Berry Gordy, who initially refused to release the LP; he finally relented, although he maintained that he never understood the record's full scope. Gaye was vindicated when the majestic title track reached the number two spot in 1971, and both of the follow-ups, "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)," also reached the Top Ten. The album's success guaranteed Gaye continued artistic control over his work and helped loosen the reins for other Motown artists, most notably Stevie Wonder, to also take command of their own destinies. Consequently, in 1972, Gaye changed directions again, agreeing to score the blaxploitation thriller Trouble Man; the resulting soundtrack was a primarily instrumental effort showcasing his increasing interest in jazz, although a vocal turn on the moody, minimalist title track scored another Top Ten smash. The long-simmering eroticism implicit in much of Gaye's work reached its boiling point with 1973's Let's Get It On, one of the most sexually charged albums ever recorded; a work of intense lust and longing, it became the most commercially successful effort of his career, and the title cut became his second number one hit. Let's Get It On also marked another significant shift in Gaye's lyrical outlook, moving him from the political arena to a deeply personal, even insular stance that continued to define his subsequent work. After teaming with Diana Ross for the 1973 duet collection Marvin and Diana, he returned to work on his next solo effort, I Want You; however, the record's completion was delayed by his 1975 divorce from Anna Gordy. The dissolution of his marriage threw Gaye into a tailspin, and he spent much of the mid-'70s in divorce court. To combat Gaye's absence from the studio, Motown released the 1977 stopgap Live at the London Palladium, which spawned the single "Got to Give It Up, Pt. 1," his final number one hit. As a result of a 1976 court settlement, Gaye was ordered to make good on missed alimony payments by recording a new album, with the intention that all royalties earned from its sales would then be awarded to his ex-wife. The 1978 record, a two-LP set sardonically titled Here, My Dear, bitterly explored the couple's relationship in such intimate detail that Anna Gordy briefly considered suing Gaye for invasion of privacy. In the interim, he had remarried and begun work on another album, Lover Man, but scrapped the project when the "Ego Tripping Out" lead single -- a telling personal commentary presented as a duet between the spiritual and sexual halves of his identity, which biographer David Ritz later dubbed the singer's "divided soul" -- failed to chart. As his drug problems increased and his marriage to new wife Janis also began to fail, he relocated to Hawaii in an attempt to sort out his personal affairs. In 1981, longstanding tax difficulties and renewed pressures from the IRS forced Gaye to flee to Europe, where he began work on the ambitious In Our Lifetime, a deeply philosophical record that ultimately severed his longstanding relationship with Motown after he claimed the label had remixed and edited the album without his consent. Additionally, Gaye stated that the finished artwork parodied his original intent, and that even the title had been changed to drop an all-important question mark. Upon signing with Columbia in 1982, he battled stories of erratic behavior and a consuming addiction to cocaine to emerge triumphant with Midnight Love, an assured comeback highlighted by the luminous Top Three hit "Sexual Healing." The record made Gaye a star yet again, and in 1983 he made peace with Berry Gordy by appearing on a television special celebrating Motown's silver anniversary. That same year, he also sang a soulful and idiosyncratic rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the NBA All-Star Game; it instantly became one of the most controversial and legendary interpretations of the anthem ever performed. And it was to be his final public appearance. Gaye's career resurgence brought with it an increased reliance on cocaine; finally, his personal demons forced him back to the U.S., where he moved in with his parents in an attempt to regain control of his life. Tragically, the return home only exacerbated his spiral into depression; he and his father quarrelled bitterly, and Gaye threatened suicide on a number of occasions. Finally, on the afternoon of April 1, 1984 -- one day before his 45th birthday -- Gaye was shot and killed by Marvin Sr. in the aftermath of a heated argument. In the wake of his death, Motown and Columbia teamed up to issue two 1985 collections of outtakes, Dream of a Lifetime -- a compilation of erotic funk workouts teamed with spiritual ballads -- and the big band-inspired Romantically Yours. (Vulnerable, a collection of ballads that took over 12 years to complete, finally saw release in 1996.) With Gaye's death also came a critical re-evaluation of his work, which deemed What's Going On to be one of the landmark albums in pop history, and his 1987 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame permanently enshrined him among the pantheon of musical greats. "Honor the past, don't just remember it." Dizzie Gillespie https://www.facebook.com/groups/DukeofEarlGroup/ |
El Caobo &


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San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th most populous in the United States, with 815,201 residents as of 2021. It covers a land area of 46.9 square miles (121 square kilometers), at the end of the San Francisco Peninsula, making it the second most densely populated large U.S. city after New York City, and the fifth most densely populated U.S. county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs. Among the 331 U.S. cities proper with more than 100,000 residents, San Francisco was ranked first by per capita income (at $133,856) and fifth by aggregate income as of 2019. Colloquial nicknames for San Francisco include SF, San Fran, The City, Frisco, and Baghdad by the Bay.San Francisco and the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area are a global center of economic activity and the arts and sciences, spurred by leading universities, high-tech, healthcare, FIRE, and professional services sectors.
Ashbury Heights, Balboa Park, Belden Place, Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, Cayuga Terrace, Central Richmond, Central Waterfront, Chabad of the Neighborhood, Chinatown, Clarendon Heights, Corona Heights, Diamond Heights, Duboce Triangle, Fillmore District, Forest Knolls


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Philosophizing even more than usual...
Reducing Fat
We all need some fat in our diets. Our livers need it to function. Our skin and hair would be very dry and unattractive without it. For those people with a "fat tooth," though, it's probably very difficult to give up the fatty mouthfeel that reduced fat preparation eliminates.
Perhaps I should have called this section, "Reducing Oiliness." Because that's more my concern that reducing the actual fat content, i.e., it's not a health or calorie thing. It's a mouthfeel thing. My vinaigrette would make a chef weep, not with joy, but in sorrow. I may use a very good oil and a rich full bodied vinegar, but my preferred proportions are two parts vinegar, three parts oil and one part water. Yes, water. I dislike the feel of oily greens, and I like the lightness increasing the vinegar and adding water give. It's my dressing. I'm not trying to make anyone else use it. Well, that's a lie. ;+) I've given that recipe out enough times.
There are those of us who don't have a fat tooth, who have never liked greasy foods, for whatever reason, who would like to occasionally buy prepared foods or baked goods but find them too oily. However, most low fat prepared foods are either so "fat free" as to be totally unpalatable - fat is where the flavor is much of the time - or they've got that unctuous mouthfeel to the point that it's like eating a bowl of lard. Fake lard.
Let me say, the thought of eating fake fat makes me queasy. No criticism of those folks who don't mind it, but I can't do it, at least not knowingly. I don't understand why food makers can't just cut back on the fat. Why do they have to replace fat with some manufactured chemical substitute? Why does it have to be "fat free"? Why can't they just reduce the fat?
Most recipes are still good with less fat and much better for you than eating Frankenfat, I'm sure. And breading, for that matter, all too often present in fried types of dishes - could we have a low fat version that isn't breaded and has less real fat and no fake fat? Does Chicken Marsala not taste just as delicious without the breading? INMSHO, it does.
Reducing Sweetness
Then there's cutting down on sugar. In this country, can't vouch for elsewhere, sweetened foods are sweetened to a tooth aching degree. Soft drinks, cakes, candies, cookies and so on are far sweeter than they need to be to make the recipe work. A certain amount of sugar is required to make a cake a cake or a candy a candy. I know this. But, obviously, the "sweet tooth" folks are running that part of the food industry.
Probably told this story before, but one of my friends had just put the last of a triple batch of Toll House Cookies into the oven and was cleaning up, when she found the bowl of white sugar sitting behind the flour bag. So, half as much sugar, and that half the less sweet brown, and the cookies were wonderful. Really, some of the best I'd ever had. Of course, I'd always thought the recipe used too much sugar but, still, a perfect example. Do I use white sugar in my Toll House Cookies? Not anymore.
So why can't they make reduced sugar products rather than just replacing the sugar with an artificial sweetener, which is almost always disgusting?
On the other hand...
Why do people go overboard? Sugar FREE! Fat FREE! Safeway has a flavored sparkling water. When it first came out, I tried the peach. Ambrosia. Really. Delicate, fragrant peach flavor with fizz. Just about perfect for my tastes. Then, I don't know, the sugar police closed them down??? For several years now, they've only made the "sugar free" flavored waters. Ack, ack, ack. Put a nasty tasting chemical in with that beautiful, delicate peach flavor? What were they thinking? How much sugar did they think was in there that they had to, for the good of the free world, remove it entirely and put in drek to replace it?
I can do reduce fat and sugar and eliminate breading or batter coatings in my own kitchen, so it's not a major issue for me. But you just have to wonder. (Shhh. No one mention my addiction to Popeye's Fried Chicken.)
And another thing...
While I'm complaining, what's with so many restaurants putting soooo much salt in the food? Do they not realize there are salt shakers on the tables (or you can get little packets at the fast food places)? And, darn it, we're mostly smart enough to figure out how to use them.


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Steamed gram-flour dumplings cooked in spicy gravy is a popular dish from the Indian state of Rajasthan. This mouth-watering dish will
complement any meal.
Serves 4.
For the Gattes
- 1 1/4 cup besan (gram flour) (available in Indian grocery stores)
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
- 3 tablespoons yogurt (dahi)
- 3 tablespoons oil
For the kadhi
- 1 cup yogurt (dahi)
- 1 tablespoon besan (gram flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder (dhania)
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- 1/8 teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 4 whole red chilies
- 1 bay leaf (tejpat)
- 1 black cardamom optional
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (dagi mirch)
For Garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
For Gattes
- Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and gather into a soft dough, adding a little water if needed. At this point the dough will be a bit sticky; wetting your fingers with oil or water will help.
- Divide the dough into four or five parts. Roll each one between your palms into a long, smooth log, approx. five" in length and ¾" in
diameter. You will need to oil your palms to prevent the dough from sticking. - Bring three cups of water to a boil in a pot. Gently drop the gatte logs into the boiling water and cook four to five minutes, or until they begin to float up to the surface.
- Remove the cooked Gatte logs from the water and let them cool.
- Slice the logs into approx. ¾ inch pieces. Set the Gatte aside.
For The Kadhi
- Mix yogurt and gram flour into a smooth paste. Add turmeric, chili powder, and coriander powder to the yogurt paste.
- Pour the oil into a saucepan over medium heat. Test
the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil. If the cumin seed crack immediately, the oil is ready. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and asafetida. - When seeds crack add the whole red chilies, bay leaf, cardamom, and paprika. Stir for a few seconds.
- Pour in the yogurt paste and stir for two minutes. Add three cups of water and stir until the gravy comes to a boil. Add salt to taste.
- Add the gatte to the gravy. Cover and cook over low-to-medium heat for 20 minutes or longer. Turn off the heat.
- Add cilantro and cover the pot for a few more minutes.
- Now you are ready to serve!
Other Suggestions
- Slice of gatte can be cooked in advance and added to the gravy later. Gatte can be frozen up to a month or refrigerated for a few days.
- Slice of gatte are used to make a wide variety of dishes, including subji (cooked dry vegetables), rice pulao etc.
- Slice of gatte can be fried and served as a snack.
- Slice of gatte can be used to make raita (mixed with yogurt).


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The Da Luca One Of A Kind Swiss Ammo Pouch Watch Band
Handmade In The USA
- Length: 119mm/77mm
- Width: 22mm
- Thickness: 3.0mm
- Buckle: Polished
- Material: Vintage Swiss Ammo Leather
- Description: This one of a kind, individually named watch strap is handmade from some of the rarest and most sought-after vintage Swiss ammunition pouches available, that date back from the early 1900s to the late 1960s. We pair this ultra-tough military grade leather with a finely finished stainless steel buckle to create an exceptional quality watch strap that is guaranteed to enhance your watch as well as be a statement piece for your wrist. Every nuanced detail, hole, crease mark, scratch, stitching line or stamp is purposefully presented as each watch strap is truly a one of a kind limited edition masterpiece. We hand stitch every strap using the strongest wax linen thread for added durability, use precise finishing techniques and give meticulous attention to detail so each strap is built to last using only the finest materials available. Enhance your watch with this luxurious handmade vintage leather watch strap, it will give years of all-day comfort and style.
- We highly recommend adding a bottle of Venetian Cream to your order, that can be used with this specific product as well as many other fine leather products. It will help condition the leather back to a like new condition after years of heavy use, protect it and keep it lasting for many years more.
In 2009 DaLuca Straps was founded in San Diego, Ca as a passionate brand that focused solely on producing hand crafted watch straps. Since then they have expanded their in house manufacturing team to produce watch bands that fit virtually every watch + offer accessories such as wallets, belts, key chains & t-shirts. Quality, longevity and simplicity are always at the forefront at DaLuca Straps.


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Custom Motorcycles
How cool is this...Paughco, the provider of many parts used on the original "Captain America" bike, is now offering a select number of beautifully reproduced pieces that provide the basis for building an exact reproduction of the historical chopper.
The parts shown here are all available, as pictured, directly from Paughco, and provide the unmistakable look unique to the Captain America bike featured in the Easy Rider movie.
Paughco's amazing, fully chromed, Wishbone frame features 3" stretch in the downtubes, 0 in the backbone and 37 degrees of rake.
The beautifully finished frame retails for $3,179.95.
A precise reflection of the original, Paughco's Captain America Mustang tank, retail $849.95, is flawlessly finished as shown and ready to install.
Captain America style button tuffed seat bolts directly to the frame and retails for $820.95 and chrome Cross Tube for the risers retails for just $57.95.
Paughco also offers a 5-speed version for updating to a Softail driveline with electric start and a collection of reproduction Captain America accessories to complete your project.
For additional information call 775-246-5738 or visit them at paughco.com.


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For three of the spots on the Bills' Mt. Rushmore, the process was easy: Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and O.J. Simpson.
For the last spot, things got slightly more complex.
I gave it to receiver Andre Reed, and PFT Planet awarded it to defensive end Bruce Smith.
Check out the video of the segment from the Pro Football Talk on NBCSN discussion, featuring Frank Wycheck, Ross Tucker, Erik Kuselias, and yours truly.


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Earlier in January Bitcoin, as it receded as recipient of an infinite press, began to see its trading range tighten after months of wild swings. I pointed this out as perhaps the start of new stability for Bitcoin, which in turn could help its platform mature, or indicate maturation thereof.
There was some squawking that the time frame I had selected as 'enough' to indicate a trend was too short. It was a reasonable complaint. Happily, Bitcoin has behaved and exonerated me by tacking on another tranche of time of generally stable prices.
The gist is simple: For nearly the entire month of January Bitcoin has traded in the 900s, with minor exceptions in 1,000s. For a currency that until very recently could see 50% of its value drop in a day and not have that day stand out all too much, it has been something of a calming of the seas.
Here's the D1 chart you need (Mt.Gox data via Clark Moody):
Why does it matter if Bitcoin is seeing increasing price stability? Essentially the more wild the swings in its value, the less useful Bitcoin is as a tool of commerce. This goes both ways: The more real uses there are for Bitcoin, the smaller the percentage of speculative trades in the currency; and, the smaller the changes in its price, the more people may start to accept Bitcoin as a payment option. It's a self-reinforcing cycle.
Marc Andreessen recently summed this well: "Bitcoin is a classic network effect, a positive feedback loop. The more people who use Bitcoin, the more valuable Bitcoin is for everyone who uses it, and the higher the incentive for the next user to start using the technology." Marc's piece — it's mandatory reading, by the way — lays out a bullish case for Bitcoin arguing that its core technological tenets provide large incentive for its use, which will drive adoption and long-term use.
Bitcoin volume on the Mt.Gox exchange is down sharply this year, a change I think that is roughly commensurate with the currency's decline in media attention. If you were hoping for Bitcoin to shape up and fly right, it was a banner month.
Top Image Credit: Flickr (Image cropped)


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What are Chris Riddell's qualifications to talk about technology? What are the awards that Chris Riddell has won? I cannot seem to find ...
The ABCs of the Internet of Things
If you didn't understand IoT before, you will after reading this
You've heard the term and probably read stories about smart homes where the toaster talks to the smoke detector. But what makes it all connect? When will it become mainstream, and will it work? These frequently asked questions help explain it all.
What is the Internet of Things?
There is no agreed-upon definition, but there is a test for determining whether something is part of the IoT: Does one vendor's product work with another's? Does a door lock by one vendor communicate with a light switch by another vendor, and do you want the thermostat to be part of the conversation?
Here's the scenario: As you approach the front door of your house, a remote control built into your key unlocks the door. The door's wireless radio messages the network, which prompts the hall light to turn on. The house thermostat, which was lowered after you left for work, returns to a comfort zone. Everything is acting in concert, which brings us to the elegant definition of IoT by Paul Williamson, director of low power wireless for semiconductor maker CSR: "A true Internet of Things is coordination between multiple devices."
What makes the Internet of Things almost human?
In a word: Sensors. Many IoT devices have sensors that can register changes in temperature, light, pressure, sound and motion. They are your eyes and ears to what's going on the world. Before we talk about what they do, let's describe them. These sensors are part of a device category called a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) and are manufactured in much the same way microprocessors are manufactured, through a lithography process. These sensors can be paired with an application-specific integrated circuit or an ASIC. This is a circuit with a limited degree of programming capability and is hardwired to do something specific. It can also be paired with microprocessor and will likely be attached to a wireless radio for communications.
Can you give an example of how IoT sensors work?
Here's the scene: You are away on vacation and the house is empty. A moisture sensor detects water on the basement floor. That sensor finding is processed by an app, which has received another report from a temperature sensor that detects the flow of water in the main water pipe. (When water flows, it takes away heat and lowers the temperature).
That both sensors are detecting anomalies is cause for concern. A high rate of flowing water may signal a burst pipe, triggering an automated valve shutoff; a slight water flow might be a running toilet, and the water on the basement floor by routine leakage from a heavy rain. In either case, you get a machine-generated message describing the findings.
Here's how you investigate. Via a mobile app, you get two one-time codes to unlock your front door, one for your neighbor and another for a plumber. When the door is unlocked, a text alert tells you who entered. Having knowledge of the condition of your home may be a big driver of IoT adoption.
How will IoT sensors work in public spaces?
Take parking. Cities are embedding sensors in on-street parking spaces from a company called Streetline that can detect if a car is parked in one. Drivers looking for a parking space use the company's mobile app, which lets them know when a space becomes available. Streetline has also added sound level and surface temperature sensors to help cities determine the best times to apply salt and use noise sensors to ensure compliance with ordinances.
In the public arena, a smartphone can double as a sensor. In Boston, as people drive down a road, the phone's accelerometer sensor will keep track of bumps. An accelerometer can tell up from down, but more precisely it measures acceleration. All it took to turn a smartphone into a road condition monitoring tool, was an app that used its existing sensor in a new way.
Do you want your bathroom scale to talk to your refrigerator?
The IoT opens up a lot of opportunity for creative app writers. Let's start with a smart refrigerator. You buy your groceries online and have them delivered to your home. It has now become advantageous for grocers and food product makers to add RFID tags to their products. The refrigerator knows what is inside via weight-sensitive shelves and expiration dates. It can also help you keep a grocery list, automate orders and provide nutritional information.
For instance, let's say you decide to take a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream out of the freezer. When that happens, a connected wireless speaker announces, loudly: "Please reconsider this selection. As requested, here is your most recent weight and BMI." The wireless speaker is reporting data collected from your bathroom scale. The scale was never designed to communicate with a refrigerator, but an app writer made it so by linking data from the scale and fridge. This scale-fridge-speaker combination may seem silly, but here's the point: In the IoT, app writers now have the ability to connect seemingly disparate things to create new types of functionality.
How do IoT devices communicate?
An IoT device will have a radio that can send and receive wireless communications. IoT wireless protocols are designed to accomplish some basic services: Operate on low power, use low bandwidth and work on a mesh network. Some work on the 2.4 GHz band, which is also used by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the sub-GHz range. The sub-GHz frequencies, including 868 and 915 MHz bands, may have the advantage of less interference.
Why is low power and low bandwidth important in IoT?
Some IoT devices will get power from electrical systems, but many, such as door locks and standalone sensors, will use batteries. These devices send and receive small amounts of information intermittently or periodically. Consequently, the battery life of an IoT device can range from 1.5 years to a decade, if the battery lasts that long. One IoT maker, Insteon, uses both radio and powerline communication, which can send data over existing electrical wiring as well as via a radio, which it says will offer an increased measure of reliability.
What is a mesh network?
Devices in a mesh network connect directly with one another, and pass signals like runners in a relay race. It is the opposite of a centralized network. The transmission range of an IoT device on a mesh network is anywhere from 30 feet to more than 300 feet.
Since mesh network devices can hand-off signals, they have an ability to connect thousands of sensors over a wide area, such as a city, and operate in concert. Mesh networks have the added ability of working around the failure of any individual device. Wireless mesh IoT protocols include the Z-Wave Alliance, the Zigbee Alliance, and Insteon, which also has an alliance of vendors. These protocols aren't directly interoperable, although there are workarounds via hubs (more on this later).
ZigBee is an open protocol, but its critics say that not all of its implementations are necessarily the same. ZigBee runs a certification to ensure standard deployments. Insteon and Z-Wave are proprietary, which may ensure standardization of implementation.
What's the best wireless network for the IoT?
Today, no wireless technology has a dominant market share in IoT applications. Nick Jones, an analyst at research firm Gartner, said more than 10 IoT wireless technologies will "get significant traction" in IoT applications. These wireless technologies include cellular, satellites and new communications such as Weightless, which uses "white space," or unoccupied TV channels. More importantly, no one wireless technology will meet every need and circumstance. A connected car, for instance, will use a cellular network to contact your home network.
Will I need a gateway or hub in the IoT?
A gateway, bridge or hub provides a connection point between your home network and other devices. The hub works with your home router and provides communications to the machines, devices and sensors that are part of your IoT universe. You will want, by default, your Zigbee smart meter to communicate with your Z-Wave or Insteon thermostat. This will also be true for the washing machine that is connected to a smart metering system and starts a wash only when electric rates are at their lowest point. These connections will be established through hubs that support multiple wireless technologies.
SmartThings, for instance, makes a hub that supports both Zigbee and Z-Wave, as well as a platform to build connecting applications. Eventually, these wireless technologies may be included in home routers, set-top boxes from your cable companies, or even devices such as a Google Chromecast.
Won't Bluetooth win in the end?
Bluetooth Low Energy was originally aimed at wearable technology, not the broad IoT market. But in early 2014, CSR, a semiconductor maker, announced a mesh network for Bluetooth, meaning it could now connect to thousands of things.
Bluetooth's ubiquity in mobile devices means that a Bluetooth mesh network as a broad IoT platform will have some advantages. Because Bluetooth is already a feature on smartphones, a smartphone could act as a management hub inside a home. But it's not perfect. A hub will be needed if someone wants to connect with the home network remotely, such as from work.
Do the big consumer product vendors really want an Internet of Things?
Skeptics say it's unlikely that all the big vendors will embrace open standards. A more likely outcome for the IoT are technological islands defined by proprietary data interchanges.
Without open standards or open communication protocols, devices on the network won't be able to share data and work in concert. Will Apple develop products that can connect with Samsung products? Will Bosch products communicate with those from Samsung or Sears? Maybe not.
Consumers will be frustrated and will be told that they need to buy into a particular vendor's product partner network to get a full IoT experience.
Can open source force the big vendors to play nice?
Open source advocates are hoping they can avert a fracturing of the IoT. The Linux Foundation, a nonprofit consortium, created the AllSeen Aliance and released a code stack in late 2013 that can be used by any electronics or appliance maker to connect to another product. The alliance hopes that the sheer weight of adoption of this stack, called AllJoyn, will help to push the IoT toward open standards. AllJoyn is agnostic about wireless protocols, and support for Bluetooth LE, ZigBee and Z-Wave can be added easily by the community.
Will the IoT destroy what little privacy you have left?
Privacy advocates are plenty worried about the IoT's impact on consumers. Part of this is due to the arrival of IPv6 addresses, the next generation Internet protocol. It replaces IPv4, which assigned 32-bit addresses, with a total limit of 4.3 billion; IPv6 is 128-bit, and allows for 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses or 340,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This makes it possible to assign a unique identifier to anything that's part of the IoT (although not everything needs to be IP addressable, such as light switches). This may enable deep insights into a home. Smart metering systems, for instance, will be able to track individual appliance use.
"Information about a power consumer's schedule can reveal intimate, personal details about their lives, such as their medical needs, interactions with others, and personal habits," warned the Electronic Privacy Information Center, in testimony in late 2013 at a Federal Trade Commission workshop. This is information that may be shared with third parties. At this same FTC workshop, another leading privacy group, the Center for Democracy and Technology, outlined its nightmare scenario.
Light sensors in a home can tell how often certain rooms are occupied, and temperature sensors may be able to tell when one bathes, exercises or leaves the house; microphones can easily pick up the content of conversations. The message is clear: Courts, regulators and lawmakers will be fighting over IoT privacy safeguards for years to come.
Will my smart washer attack me?
Security experts are worried that consumers won't be able to tell the difference between secure and insecure devices on their home network. It will be a threat to enterprise networks as well. These devices, many of which will be cheap and junky and made by who-knows-who overseas, may not have any security of their own.
Security researchers imagine problems, such as the connected toilet, demonstrated at a recent Black Hat conference, which flushed and closed its lid repeatedly. Hackers could create havoc by turning appliances and HVAC systems on and off. Baby monitors have been successfully taken over by outsiders. One advantage that IoT security may have is it's still in its early stages, and the security community has a chance to build IoT systems with a strong measure of protection. Cisco is fishing around for ideas. The company is running a contest (with a June 17 submission deadline) with $300,000 in prize money for ideas for securing the IoT.
When will the Internet of Things be ready for prime time?
Vendors will be sorting out the various protocols and technologies for years. Consumers are curious, perhaps, but sensors and hubs for the home aren't flying off the shelves. There are real IoT uses today, especially for home monitoring and security. For now, the big users of sensor networks and remote intelligence gathering are businesses and governments.
Governments are deploying sensors to alert them to failed street lights, leaks in water systems and full trash cans. Sensors will likely have a major role in traffic control, forest fire and landslide detection. Remote sensing is already mainstream in many industries, office buildings and in the energy supply.
It's the consumer applications that get the most attention because they involve almost every industry and platform: health systems, home energy use, hardware, home building, electronics and the entire category of wearables, including clothing. Even plumbers will have to be aware of the IoT because of connected shut-off valves. But no one is going to stand in line for the latest smart refrigerator. It isn't the next iPad. The IoT rollout will be slow and will occur over many years, as appliances are replaced and home electrical systems are upgraded with smart devices.
What's the worst case scenario?
That a true coordination between multiple devices never comes to pass. Vendors, initially, will build islands, closed IoT environments that only work with their products and those made by selected partners. Privacy protections may be treated loosely, with users forced to opt out if they don't want their home turned into a giant spy cam for marketers.
We haven't even mentioned things like Google Glass. Imagine a scenario where people agree to share live streams as part of a Neighborhood Block Watch. A surveillance state may arrive on a flood of good intentions. But the IoT has potential to make life more efficient, safer, healthier and environmentally friendly.
In particular, people who install solar energy systems and use net metering, essentially selling surplus energy back to the utility, will have powerful reasons to install aware and connected systems. But whether these systems can work together will depend on the willingness of vendors to make their products connectable. There is no vendor large enough to control the IoT, but there are vendors large enough to make a mess of it.


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This is a quote I see many times on Pinterest, not always the same picture but the words are the same. I've thought more and more about music this year; how it affects my mood, how it can change that mood. Mostly it's been because I'm trying to do the 'tracks of my years' and it's taking me a long time. I've only just got to my teens in writing it all down!
There have been two other things that have put music into the forefront again. Two funerals this year (I realise a funeral is not a 'thing' it's more than that, I just can't type what I mean) have made me think about other people's music. I was asked to help sort the music for both, it felt weird for me to think about the choices because some of them didn't reflect their later years.
That's when I thought again about my music choices, there are some that horrify me and there's quite a lot I wouldn't want played at my funeral either. I can also understand why people say what music they want, even though I admit when people tell me I try to talk about something else because of the awkwardness.
I think music does reflect a lot of who you are. But it changes and grows, just like we do as people over the years. Some music will embarrass us and others will take you back to that first moment that you heard it with a big smile.
I also like that there's always something in a record collection that will surprise someone else. What would yours be?


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Our A/C Repair Technicians Are Just a Phone Call Away
One of the worst moments you can experience during the summer is when your air conditioner stops doing its job. A/C break downs never seem to happen at a convenient time. When you're in need of air conditioning repair services in Oreland, PA, who do you turn to? For years homeowners have been turning to MoreVent for help from the most reliable air conditioning technicians in the area.
What makes MoreVent stand out among other air conditioning repair companies in Oreland, PA? Maybe it's our same-day A/C repair services. Perhaps it's our appointment guarantee. If we don't show up for your scheduled appointment, that appointment is free. This is our way of showing you that we know your time is valuable. You'll also be happy to know we always charge the same rate. Unlike other air conditioning repair companies, we don't charge overtime or after-hour rates. Day or night, weekend or weekday, you can count on our rates to be the same. We know homeowners in Oreland, PA put their trust in us because our HVAC technicians strive for complete customer satisfaction.
Contact Us Today by filling out the form below, or calling us at 1-484-203-8420
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Signs It's Time for an Air Conditioning Repair
Sometimes, it's easy to tell when you need air conditioning repair services. Other times, the signs are more subtle. If your unit is acting strange, it's best to call the experts at MoreVent. Even a small change in how your air conditioner behaves could indicate large problems in the future. Here are a few signs that your A/C system needs professional repair.
Strange Sounds
When your air conditioning system starts making sounds that it typically doesn't make, it's an early warning of larger problems. Odd sounds are typically the result of a component becoming loose or breaking within the air conditioner. Generally, it will sound like it's rattling around.
High Utility Bills
Seeing your energy bill rise during the summer is normal because your air conditioning unit naturally runs more often. If it spikes more than normal, though, it might mean that your system isn't as energy efficient anymore. In such a situation you should call a pro for recommendations.
Little or No Cool Air
This is typically the first warning sign that homeowners notice. Your air conditioning system is supposed to cool your space, so you know something is wrong when it doesn't. Unfortunately, a number of problems can cause this issue, which is why a professional needs to conduct an inspection.
Bad Odor
Bad odors are typically caused by a buildup of bacteria within the ductwork or in the air conditioner itself. Sometimes, it happens when humidity levels get too high in your home. Since your A/C unit is supposed to control humidity, the smell is a sign that it's not working. It could also indicate mold.
System Constantly Runs
On hot days, you can expect your air conditioner to cycle on and off throughout the day. When it constantly runs or cycles on more than normal, something is preventing it from functioning properly. A HVAC technician from MoreVent can quickly diagnose the problem and provide a solution.
Frozen Coils or Leaks
If you've ever noticed the coils on your air conditioner freezing, it could be a sign that the coils themselves are damaged or that dirt is blocking proper airflow. On the other hand, you could have a refrigerant leak. Getting professional air conditioning service can fix any of these problems.
Reasons Your Air Conditioner Isn't Working
An air conditioner that's not working could be caused by many things. The most frequent issue our NATE-certified technicians in Oreland, PA see is low refrigerant levels. Refrigerant is responsible for cooling the air within your system. When you experience a leak and the refrigerant levels are low you'll know because the air blowing from your vents will be warmer than it should be.
Frozen air conditioner coils are another common problem we see. Airflow restrictions caused by obstructed return ductwork and filthy air filters could be the culprit. The trusted HVAC technicians at MoreVent can inspect your system and provide recommendations on how to resolve any issue you're experiencing. Simply contact us today to schedule your service call.
Emergency Air Conditioning Repair in Oreland, PA
You can't control when your air conditioner breaks down. At MoreVent, we understand how frustrating it is if your A/C system stops working when you need it the most. That's why we're pleased to offer emergency air conditioning repair services in Oreland, PA 24/7/365. Best of all, we won't charge you overtime fees if you need to call us after hours. We're here for you when you need us.
No matter what kind of emergency air conditioning repair services you need, you can count on MoreVent. We can do emergency repairs on heat pumps, central air conditioners and mini-split systems. Late at night, on the weekend, or during a holiday if you find yourself in need of leak repairs or a refrigerant recharge, we have you covered.
Prevent Breakdowns with Our Annual HVAC Maintenance Plans
Although it's impossible to predict an air conditioner breakdown, you can reduce the possibility with our annual HVAC maintenance plan. MoreVent's Front-of-the-Line Family Plan ensures that your A/C unit stays tuned-up and running efficiently. Some of the benefits that you get from this plan include:
- 24-hour VIP service
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- $100 per year toward a new HVAC system every year that you're a Front-of-the-Line Family Plan member
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In short, our air conditioning maintenance plan rolls out the red carpet for you. We put your needs first, and we always move your emergency needs to the front of the line. It's the most comprehensive way to keep your system up tuned-up and running longer.
Request an Estimate for Your Air Conditioning Repair in Oreland, PA
Keeping your family cool during the hot summer is important. Thankfully, you can count on MoreVent no matter when you're in need of air conditioning repair services in Oreland, PA. Our expert HVAC technicians have the tools and knowledge needed to tackle any problem that they may come across. Our emergency air conditioning services are just a call away. Reach out to MoreVent today to speak to one of our friendly staff members!


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Amazon's cloud is adding a service for sending bulk e-mail, saying it will eliminate the burden of "building large-scale e-mail solutions to send marketing and transactional messages."
Aimed at businesses and developers, Amazon's Simple Email Service, announced Tuesday, will integrate with the Elastic Compute Cloud and other Amazon platforms.
IN DEPTH: Gartner's Magic Quadrant disses Amazon cloud
With today's systems, "businesses must deal with hassles such as e-mail server management, network configuration, and meeting rigorous Internet Service Provider (ISP) standards for e-mail content," Amazon said. "Additionally, many third-party e-mail solutions require contract and price negotiations, as well as significant up-front costs."
Simple Email Service is another example of Amazon steadily ramping up its cloud platform in the face of competition from the likes of Microsoft's Windows Azure, Rackspace, Google App Engine, and VMware. Just last week, Amazon also announced Elastic Beanstalk, a tool that automates many of the processes needed to deploy Java applications on Amazon's cloud network.
Simple Email Service is not an attempt to build a rival to Gmail.
"It is not a standard e-mail service like Exchange or Gmail," says Gartner analyst Matt Cain. "This is for e-mail marketing campaigns -- so if you want to send a holiday greeting to your 100,000 customers, this is what you would use. It will compete with e-mail marketing companies, some of whom will be tempted to use the Amazon SES because the infrastructure costs are so low."
Amazon Simple Email starts out with a free usage tier, and then costs 10 cents for every 1,000 e-mail messages sent. Customers also get 2,000 free sent e-mails per day "when these e-mails originate from Amazon EC2 or Elastic Beanstalk."
FAQ: Cloud computing, demystified
Simple Email Service is already in use by beta customers, including Neustar, a managed services provider that uses Amazon e-mail for an e-mail sign-up process that lures in new customers.
Because bulk e-mail often looks like spam (and often is spam), Amazon says its new service "provides a built-in feedback loop, which includes notifications of bounce backs, failed and successful delivery attempts, and spam complaints."
At its core, Amazon Web Services is all about providing businesses and developers with remote access to compute and storage capacity, with the ability scale up or down immediately, eliminating the need to build out a huge data center that may not be used at full capacity.
But Amazon's cloud has expanded well beyond storage and computing over the past several years. Amazon now lists more than 20 cloud products and services, including load balancing, VPN, databases, payments, and a queue service that makes it easier to move data between distributed components of applications.
In a recent Magic Quadrant report on infrastructure-as-a-service and Web hosting, Gartner listed Amazon in one of its lower tiers, behind companies such as AT&T and Rackspace. Gartner said Amazon's service-level agreements are weak, but also said the company "is a thought leader ... extraordinarily innovative, exceptionally agile ... very responsive to the market ... [and] has the richest cloud IaaS product portfolio, and is constantly expanding its service offerings and reducing its prices."
Follow Jon Brodkin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jbrodkin
Read more about data center in Network World's Data Center section.


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2019 Indian Roadmaster Icon
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Motorcycle Overview
Features may include:
Made For The Self-Made.The Roadmaster is loaded with premium touring amenities. Impressive power from the Thunder Stroke® 111 V-Twin engine, keyless ignition, industry-leading Ride Command® with a 200-watt premium audio system, individually heated seats, and a push-button power windshield. The list goes on and on.
- Youve Earned The Rewards
The Indian® Roadmaster® is an expertly crafted, powerful and well-balanced touring bike, fully loaded with the most extensive package of touring amenities that Indian Motorcycle offers.
- Thunder Stroke® 111 V-Twin Engine
The Thunder Stroke® 111 engine produces 119 ft-lbs of torque for exceptional power at low RPM and a smooth ride at any speed.
- Agile Handling And Control
Combines outstanding steering geometry and a lightweight cast aluminum frame to provide responsive handling and agile cornering.
- Indian Motorcycle® Ride Command®
Its the largest, fastest, most customizable system on two wheels, featuring turn-by-turn navigation, Bluetooth® connectivity, vehicle information and much more.
- Ride In Comfort
Your journey may be long, but it should never feel long. The Roadmaster is equipped to get you there in style and comfort, no matter the distance.
- 37+ Gallons of Cargo Space
Protect your cargo in weather proof storage. Remote-locking saddlebags and trunk, plus easily accessible storage in the lowers.
- Optimized Airflow Vents
New redesigned lowers provide significantly more cooling airflow to the rider for superior riding comfort.
- Premium Touring Seat
A plush 2-up genuine leather seat with independent heat controls for passenger and driver, plus heated grips to ensure you always travel in long-distance comfort.
- Built For The Long Road
The Roadmaster comes with an array of modern touring amenities that enhance your ride.
- Premium Audio
High-output speakers in the fairing and trunk deliver 200-watts of crystal-clear audio. Featuring a dynamic equalizer that automatically adjusts for road, wind and engine noise.
- Premium Amenities
Top-of-the-line riding amenities include LED lighting, keyless ignition, cruise-control, tire pressure monitoring and heated grips.
- Power Windshield
A push-button power windshield allows you to easily change the height. Keep it low for wind in your face or raise it up to cruise in comfort.
- Control Your Ride With Ride Command
With the industry-leading Ride Command system, you control every aspect of your ride on a glove-compatible touchscreen with an easy-to-use interface, customizable vehicle information screens and two-finger pinch-to-zoom.
- All-New Ride Modes
Now you can choose between three ride modes, Tour, Standard and Sport, for an experience thats customized to your riding style.
- Enhanced Comfort
Rear Cylinder Deactivation automatically shuts off the rear cylinder when the bike is stopped for enhanced comfort in slow-moving traffic. As soon as you hit the throttle, the rear cylinder seamlessly reactivates for full power.
Vehicle History Report
View the CycleVIN motorcycle history report
Vehicle Specifications
- Motorcycle ID201551560
- Stock NumberUIN381424
- CategoryMotorcycle
- SubcategoryStreet
- TypeCruiser
- New/UsedUsed
- Mileage34,331 miles
- Heated Seats?No
- Saddlebags?No
- Cruise Control?No
- Antilock Brakes?No
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Two Canadians were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard on a beach near Tsusiat Falls on Vancouver Island.
Two people out in a boat near the waterfall on the western side of the island, between Ucluelet and Port Renfrew, made a distress call at around 2:20 p.m. on Sunday.
#USCG MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Sector Field Office Port Angeles rescued two people from a beach near Tsusiat Falls, British Columbia. Boaters were transferred to a Royal Canadian Navy aircrew in Neah Bay, Washington. https://t.co/eud2POq90s pic.twitter.com/T9ZGVQ28MF
— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) April 29, 2019
The U.S. crew in Port Angeles in Washington state was the closest first responder, so an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter was deployed and arrived at 3:13 p.m.
The boaters had had to abandon their boat after it started taking on water, and they swam to shore. They were wearing light clothing and suffered from symptoms related to hypothermia.
The crew hoisted them into the helicopter and flew them to Neah Bay in Washington where they were met by a Royal Canadian helicopter crew.
READ MORE: Canadian Coast Guard breaks ground on permanent search and rescue station in Victoria
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Stream TVAnts video to Nintendo Wii | Viewing Page 1 -- Go To |
How to stream TVAnts video to Nintendo Wii
TVAnts is a P2PTV program where you can find live streams of television channels from all over the world. In this article we will show how to stream video from TVAnts to the Nintendo Wii console over a home network to watch the content on a television screen.
Introduction & Requirements
Software you must download and install | |
TVants | |
Required: Download and install TVants on your computer. Download! | |
VLC Media Player | |
Required: Download and install VLC Media Player on your computer. Download! | |
TVersity | |
Required: Download and install TVersity Media Server on your computer. Download! |
Obviously you will need a Nintendo Wii console for this article. You will need the console to be connected to a wireless network. This guide also uses TVersity Media Server but it does not cover fully installing or configuring it, however it still should work just fine if you just follow these instructions. Install all of the software.
What does this article do?
If you are here reading this, then chances are good that you are already familiar with what TVAnts can do. Basically, TVAnts is a P2PTV application that allows you to download and share video streams. This works particularly well with streams from live television broadcasts, and such content is popular on software like TVAnts. The limiting factor in these programs is having to use a computer monitor or laptop screen to watch your content. This guide takes advantage of the web browser available for the Nintendo Wii console, and the helpful conditions it provides for this content, such as its existing connection directly to a television and its networking abilities.
In order to move on, you must install TVAnts and then run the program. Select a channel that you want to stream to the Nintendo Wii console and play it (double click from the list the program will automatically download).
Video Properties
Once the channel begins playing, right click on the screen and navigate to Properties. This will now help you to find the location of the local stream that TVAnts automatically sets up.
Get Local Stream URL
In the Properties window you will now be able to see the Location of the stream set up by the TVAnts software locally for you to play the content. Copy and paste this stream into a text document or write down the URL, as you will need it on the next page.
Make sure the channel is Active
You can close the video player that TVAnts opens without closing the program. Check under the Channels tab in TVAnts to make sure that the program is still Running the channel (as shown above). You can now minimize this with the channel still sharing, and you are now ready to move on to the second part of the guide.
What Next?
We have completed all the necessary setup processes, move to the next page.
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Thank you for your interest in Models Plus Inc., Where we bring your imagination to form.
We take pride in our work and know the importance of high quality, rapid turnaround and customer service. Our dedicated team works with you to avoid issues that could delay your project. Because of our industrial design background and experience in model making, we understand what you are looking for and what questions to ask. Models Plus Inc. can rapidly produce your project to your specifications from the media of your choice. Our focus is on you, our customer, providing the type of service that is so important in a long-term relationship.


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Italy Rescuers Toil Through Night Seeking Quake Survivors As Death Toll Hits 159
Rescue teams were working through the night to try to find survivors under the rubble that remained of central Italian towns flattened by an earthquake that hit in the early hours of Wednesday, killing at least 159 people.
One hotel that collapsed in the small town of Amatrice probably had about 70 guests, and only seven bodies had so far been recovered, said the mayor of the town that was one of the worst hit by the quake.
The strong 6.2 magnitude quake razed homes and buckled roads in a cluster of mountain communities 140 km (85 miles) east of Rome. It was powerful enough to be felt in Bologna to the north and Naples to the south, each more than 220 km (135 miles) from the epicenter.
"Tonight will be our first nightmare night," said Alessandro Gabrielli, one of hundreds preparing to sleep in tents erected by rescue workers in fields and parking lots, each one housing 12 people whose homes had been destroyed.
"Last night, I woke up with a sound that sounded like a bomb," he added.
Rescuers working with emergency lighting in the darkness saved a 10-year-old girl, pulling her out of the rubble alive, where she had lain for some 17 hours in the hamlet of Pescara del Tronto.
Many other children were not so lucky. In the nearby village of Accumoli, a family of four, including two boys aged 8 months and 9 years, were buried when their house imploded.
As rescue workers carried away the body of the infant, carefully covered by a small blanket, the children's grandmother blamed God: "He took them all at once," she wailed.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the Cabinet would meet on Thursday to decide measures to help the affected communities.
"Today is a day for tears, tomorrow we can talk of reconstruction," he told reporters late on Wednesday as he announced 120 bodies had been found and 368 people had been taken to hospital.
The death toll rose to 159 a few hours later. With people still unaccounted for, the civil protection department warned it could climb higher.
Aerial photographs showed whole areas of Amatrice, last year voted one of Italy's most beautiful historic towns, flattened by the quake. Inhabitants of the four worst-hit small towns rise by as much as tenfold in the summer, and many of those killed or missing were visitors.
Amatrice's mayor, Sergio Pirozzi, said its best-known accommodation, Hotel Roma, which probably had around 70 guests at the time of the quake, had collapsed and only seven bodies had been found under the rubble.
The civil protection agency said it was trying to determine how many people were staying in the hotel.
Most of the damage was in the Lazio and Marche regions, with Lazio bearing the brunt of the damage and the biggest toll. Neighboring Umbria was also affected. All three regions are dotted with centuries-old buildings susceptible to earthquakes.
Italy's earthquake institute, INGV, said the epicenter was near Accumoli and Amatrice, which lie between the larger towns of Ascoli Piceno to the northeast and Rieti to the southwest.
It was relatively shallow at 4 km (2.5 miles) below the earth's surface. INGV reported 150 aftershocks in the 12 hours following the initial quake, the strongest measuring 5.5.
Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe.
The last major earthquake to hit the country struck the central city of L'Aquila in 2009, killing more than 300 people.
The most deadly temblor since the start of the 20th century came in 1908, when an earthquake followed by a tsunami killed an estimated 80,000 people in the southern regions of Reggio Calabria and Sicily.
© Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. All rights reserved.


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2012 Honda Odyssey
TRIM | Original MSRP | 5-Year Cost to Own | Compare |
2012 Honda Odyssey Expert Review
MotorTrend Staff
Honda prides itself on the 2012 Honda Odyssey earning outstanding safety ratings from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This helps to make the Odyssey a trustworthy choice for a family hauler in an extremely competitive market against the likes of the Toyota Sienna and Chrysler's minivans. With its improved fuel economy, more stylish appearance, and safety ratings, the Odyssey continues to be a top choice in the minivan segment.
A nicely finished and versatile interior is an Odyssey staple, and helps define it as the ultimate family vehicle. It provides up to five Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildern (LATCH), and the third-row "magic" seat is easy to fold down with just motion. Ultimate luxury can be had in the Touring/Touring Elite models, which add heated front seats, power tailgate, coolbox, and a rear view backup camera.
Since the front-drive, eight-passenger minivan was all-new last year, complete with a lower roofline, wider track, restyled sheetmetal, and upgrades to Honda's 3.5-liter V-6 engine and five-speed automatic that improved fuel economy, the 2012 Odyssey receives only minor tweaks. The base EX model gets more goodies, while the top-trim models are now available in an exclusive color.
Body style: Minivan
Engines: 3.5L V-6
Transmissions: 6-speed automatic, 5-speed automatic
Models: LX, EX, EX-L, Touring, Touring Elite
The Odyssey received a full-blown refresh for 2011, so changes for the 2012 Honda Odyssey are minimal. The midlevel EX gets EX-L amenities with standard Bluetooth, USB audio interface, 2-GB CD-Library, and Honda's i-MID (Intelligent Media Information Display) with an 8-inch TFT screen. The Touring and Touring Elite trims are now available in exclusive White Diamond Pearl paint, which replaces Taffeta White.
The Odyssey's exterior now looks lower, wider, and more angular with last year's refresh. A lightning bolt beltline provides a more distinctive appearance, and seems to have made for a larger third-row window so passengers don't feel as enclosed in the back. More updates from last year include Honda's new grille and smaller headlights. The Odyssey also uses 59% high strength steel in an effort to minimize road noise and reduce body weight.
The Odyssey family hauler boasts generous interior room, with each row having ample legroom. Numerous storage compartments also provide for more interior space, and there's seating for seven (in LX models) or eight (EX models and above). Drivers benefit on long road trips with a 10-way power adjustable seat (eight in LX models), and a tilt and telescoping steering column. Air conditioning can be manually controlled in the rear, while rear seat passengers on the Touring Elite model can watch two different video sources on the ultra-wide LCD rear entertainment display. Power sliding rear doors come standard in all models.
The Odyssey's 3.5-liter V-6 with 248 horsepower performs well and is mated to a five-speed automatic, while top-trim models (Touring/Touring Elite) come with a new 6-speed automatic, updated last year. When pushed to its limits, acceleration still lags a bit relative to the quicker vans in this class, but more importantly, its ability to run on three cylinders or fewer to conserve fuel is a plus, resulting in class-leading fuel economy on models equipped with cylinder deactivation and the six-speed transmission. Overall, we found the Odyssey's 1.4-inch wider stance takes corners with ease, and delivers a smooth ride the whole family can enjoy.
When it comes to safety, the 2012 Honda Odyssey is top-notch. It received a 5-star overall vehicle score from the NHTSA, and was named a top safety pick from the IIHS. Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) maximizes occupant protection in frontal collisions, and a variety of braking aids (ABS, EBD, and BA) contribute to the Odyssey's top safety scores. All outboard passengers have side curtain airbags, while the driver and front passenger have dual stage front and front side airbags.
LX, EX, and EX-L: 18 mpg city/27 mpg highway
Touring: 19 mpg city/28 mpg highway
- Safety Ratings
- Fuel economy
- Multiple storage options
- Controversial styling
- Rear backup camera exclusivity
Solid selection sips fuel and remains highly flexible
- Chrysler Town & Country
- Dodge Caravan
- Kia Sedona
- Toyota Sienna
2012 Honda Odyssey Specifications
Engine Name | V6, i-VTEC, 3.5 Liter |
Trim | LX |
Horsepower | 248@5,700 |
Torque | 250@4,800 |
Number Of Cylinders | 6 |
Front Headroom | 39.7 in |
Rear Headroom | 38.0 in |
Front Legroom | 40.9 in |
Rear Legroom | 42.4 in |
Front Shoulder Room | 64.4 in |


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Stuff Gadget Awards 2013 winners announced: These are the 22 Best Gadgets of the Year
Meet the gadgets, apps, cars, services, events and people that defined 2013
The past 12 months have been a whirlwind of impressive new gadgets and game-changing innovations.
The Stuff Gadget Awards recognises the gear that defined the year. It celebrates the best-performing, most desirable and most important product releases, covering gadgets, apps, web services, cars and more. Awards winners aren't just the best products – they're the products that have had the greatest impact on the market, and the ones that are setting the agenda within their category for the year to come.
This is the sixth annual Stuff Gadget Awards and the biggest to date, with 23 categories, including three reader-voted awards.
But you don't care about all that. You care about what's won. Let's get on with the show.
Fitness Gadget of the Year: Fitbit Flex (£80)
Fitbit's turned its fitness tracker from an ungainly clip-on device to a wrist-mounted wonder – and added a host of improvements in the process. Bluetooth 4.0 means the Flex will ping data from your wrist to your smartphone, so you don't have to faff about with opening apps. Its sleep tracking will count your Zs, while a quick tap on the wristband pings up a set of LEDs to show how close you are to achieving your daily goals. It also looks like a sci-fi communicator watch, which pleases us mightily. Durable, well-integrated with the Fitbit ecosystem, and giving you motivation at a glance, the Flex is a truly flexible fitness tracker.
Game App of the Year: New Star Soccer 1.5 (from £free)
When New Star Soccer first took the App Store by storm it caused relationships to suffer, deadlines to be missed and lampposts to be walked into. But when a 50-year-old footballer was still netting 90 goals a season it became clear NSS was a bit too easy. Version 1.5 has been subbed on to fix that. Defenders now close you down, you can change your tactical focus mid-game and things have taken a turn for the Big Sam with headers now also available. But it's the much stricter demands on your energy that ramp up the difficulty level – and just like that we're walking into lampposts all over again.
Phone of the Year: LG G2 (£470)
If you'd told us a year ago that LG would make the best phone of 2013 we'd throw a Viewty in your face and push an LG Chocolate up your nose for being so stupid. But here we are 12 months later and not only has the LG-made Nexus 4 made our shortlist, the 5.2in G2 has taken the top prize – and deservedly so. Every single person who's handled our G2 has been seduced by its charms, whether it's the stonking screen, amazing battery life or neat tricks such as the double-tap to wake that means you don't have to mess about with the buttons on the back. It's not as pretty as the HTC One, but when it runs faster than Usain Bolt towards another corporate sponsorship deal it's impossible not to give it the gold.
Music Gadget of the Year: Sonos Play:1 (£170)
Ah, Play:1 – we've been expecting you. You see, ever since Sonos launched its Play:3 (itself a Stuff Awards winner in 2011), there's been a Play:1-shaped hole below it waiting to be filled. And now that it's here, we don't know how we managed without it. It'll play tunes from pretty much any streaming service or your own network, costs just £170 and despite its dinky size sounds bigger – and better – than the Play:3. It can even be teamed up with the Sonos Playbar to create a surround system. We'd hoped it would be portable, but its standout sonic performance more than makes up for it. Remarkable.
Essential App of the Year: Citymapper (£free)
In the year 2013 it should be impossible to get lost. After all, you have a rectangle in your pocket that knows exactly where you are on Planet Earth at all times – but knowing how to get to the next place is trickier. Flipping back and forth through your quiver of travel apps works, but not well. However, Citymapper will show you how to get there using your feet, public transport, taxis or good old-fashioned pedal power, complete with ticket pricing, journey time and any potential problems en route. It only works in London and New York for now, but when an app is this useful it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world demands it.
Creative App of the Year: Vine (£free)
Until Vine came along the only videos shot on mobile phones were by bored parents intent on clogging up your Facebook feed and annoying people at gigs who can't seem to enjoy anything unless they record it on their phone. Those were dark days indeed. If nothing else, Vine at least restricts their distinctly sub-optimal output to just six seconds, but more importantly its touch-to-record interface and linear editing system has made shooting quick, innovative videos really, really easy. It's now joyously simple – just record your mini masterpiece and hit share. So give it a try, even if you are just filming your kid's first gig.
Tablet of the Year: Apple iPad Air (from £400)
On a recent trip to Berlin we witnessed somebody try to chop a currywurst in half with an ultra-thin keyboard. Since then it's become one of the tests we put every new gadget through, and at 20% thinner than its predecessor the iPad Air is the closest we've come to finding a working sausage slicer. If you'd rather use your iPad Air to watch Netflix, play games and browse Stuff.tv, its A7 chip is twice as powerful, its Wi-Fi is faster, its battery will still give you 10 hours, plus you could eat your dinner off its slick, clinical finish. In fact, you're probably going to need two: one to chop up your bangers and another to eat them on.
Tech Toy of the Year: Evobike Bomber (£8000)
Can an £8000, 50mph electric bike be called a 'toy'? Perhaps not, but given those stats, we couldn't think what other category it could fit into. It's certainly not designed for pootling along a cycle lane to work. With 4.5kW of pedal-negating battery power, a 9-speed gearbox, hydraulic disc brakes, highly adjustable suspension and aggressive downhill-bike tyres, the Bomber's only really at home when it's off-road. Fortunate, really, as it's too powerful to legally ride on UK roads. Which means you'll just have to discharge all of its furious energy hooning up hill and down dale as fast as you dare. And what's not fun about that?
Cloud App of the Year: Netflix (£6/month)
"Daddy, what did people do before Netflix?" "Well, son, times was hard. We mostly just watched whatever was on the tellybox at the time it was broadcast. Sometimes we'd record shows, but often we'd fail to set the recording machines properly or we'd plain forget. We spent an awful lot of money on boxsets. Now, tech heavens be praised, we just pays our £6 a month and watch whatever we want whenever we want to, on our laptop, tablet, phone or smart TV. We even get Netflix exclusives like House Of Cards and Breaking Bad before anyone else. And 1080p streaming on some devices. Of course, all this was before the big bandwidth crash of 2014…"
Laptop of the Year: Apple MacBook Air 13in (from £950)
This award might be becoming as predictable as Christmas falling on 25 December, but then the MacBook Air is more brilliant than partying with Mario Balotelli (we imagine). While it didn't get upgraded with a Retina Display (you can blame battery demands for that) Apple's skinniest laptop is still the lightweight champion of the world. It's speedy, thanks to Intel's new Haswell chips, with a 12-hour battery life keeping it going like a Duracell bunny with ADHD. Throw in OS X Mavericks and you've got the planet's best laptop running the planet's best operating system. Perhaps it's time we renamed this the MacBook Air of the Year award…
Car of the Year: Jaguar F-Type (from £58,520)
While the top-end F-Type might have the power of a growling V8 under the bonnet, it must still be outgunned by the might of mother nature, right? But to a lot of people a jaguar will always be a car before it's a big cat – and that's down to Jag's long history of iconic designs and world-beating engineering, both of which the F-Type has in spades. It's got the ability of an all-out supercar, the elegant looks of a classic E-Type, yet it's still comfortable enough to take on a coast-to-coast road trip. And with a 5.0-litre engine tugging it to 60mph in just 4.2 seconds it'll certainly outrun that feline namesake, too.
Camera of the Year: Olympus OM-D E-M1 (from £1300)
Once upon a time, there was a stunted young boy with a moptop and the kind of name that suggested he might one day present daytime TV for denture-sucking pensioners. They said he was too small to fulfil his dream. That boy was Lionel Messi. The E-M1 is also a dwarf among giants and yet, like the Argentinian soccer pygmy, it packs a mean shot and turns its Micro Four Thirds size to its own advantage. This is one semi-pro camera you can carry from dusk until dawn without getting arm-ache, despite silky skills including a 16MP sensor, hyper-fast autofocus, class-leading image stabilisation and a weatherproof body. Alas, the OM-D E-M1 shares Messi's silly name curse.
Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto V (£45)
Come on, what else could it be? While The Last Of Us did a better job of tugging at the heart strings (and any other tasty-looking body parts) it's the sheer life-engulfing scope of GTA V that sets it apart, replacing your own hobbies, interests and loved ones with those of Michael, Franklin and Trevor. But who wouldn't want to live in Los Santos? Rockstar's fixed the combat, tweaked the driving and added a separate online mode that turns GTA V into an anarchic MMO, so you can introduce your real-life loved ones to your new cop-dodging pals. It's almost enough to stop us buying an Xbox One or PS4. Almost…
Techcessory of the Year: Pebble Smartwatch (US$150)
Kickstarter's biggest hit so far is not just an ambassador for crowdfunding, it's also kickstarted the wearable tech revolution. Since the Pebble appeared back in March we've seen Samsung's flashy Galaxy Gear, another attempt at a Sony smartwatch and numerous other indie wannabes dip a toe into wearable tech, but none of them have got it quite as right as the unassuming Pebble. Multi-day battery life, seamlessly useful functionality and an open-source platform for developers to create clever new apps make the Pebble the only smartwatch your wrist should be seen hanging out with. And the best thing? This is only the beginning.
Innovation of the Year: Xbox One Kinect (£430)
Seriously? Did you lot learn nothing from 2001: A Space Odyssey? Voting a voice-controlled assistant of this skill into awards success, and thereby promoting its existence in our homes is surely a recipe for an 'I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that' disaster. The Xbox One's enhanced Kinect camera can now 'see' 25 different joints in your skeleton with 3x the fidelity. That means clear recognition of individual fingers, facial expressions and levels of muscle exertion. It can even sense your heart-rate, based purely on the subtle fluctuation of colour in your face. Which means it'll know for sure whether you're really dead or just pretending. Clever girl.
Kickstart of the Year: 3Doodler (US$100)
Compare: five minutes with a 3D printer and we've got software angst, blocked extruders and £1000 still missing from our wallet. Same five minutes with the 3Doodler and we've made a spindly PLA robot friend and we're in love. But we won't hug it: this fat Cuban-shaped 3D sketcher's nozzle heats up to over 200 degrees. The plastic 'ink' cools down almost instantly, allowing you to doodle in thin air without stopping. Even better, unlike most flappy crowd-funded darlings, 3Doodler dudes Wobbleworks have done an admirable job of getting 3D printing pens into backers' hands. And non-Kickstarter pre-orders are still open. Just don't try lighting it, eh?
Headphones of the Year: SOL Republic Master Tracks (£170)
Sol Republic might sound more like a bad beach bar in Magaluf than the maker of the year's best headphones, but when they look and sound this good it'd be rude to hold a dodgy moniker against them, especially when the near-indestructible Master Tracks could survive a night in said bar. So while the headband might be bendy, the sound is anything but, with plenty of punch and drive. Tough stuff rarely looks good either, which makes the Master Tracks all the more deserving of an accolade. Rugged, talented and good looking – sounds just like the Stuff team. No wonder we like them so much.
Tweeter of the Year: Accidental Partridge
We've all been guilty of playing air bass to Gary Numan's Music For Chameleons once in a while, but most of us manage to avoid letting our inner (Alan) Partridge write our tweets. Most of us. Those that don't – and the likes of Ben Fogle, Rodney Marsh and Jeremy Clarkson are repeat offenders – get retweeted by the all-seeing, ever-watching masters at @AccidentalP. Without it most of us would probably have never seen Andrew Strauss' tweet about the sash windows at Lord's being the largest in the world, or Michael Owen reporting that he'd "just done an hour solid of listening to the Beatles." And that would be saaaad.
Tech Event of the Year: Voyager-1 exits the solar system
It's been a pretty good year for space. Not only have we had the ISS's resident astronaut Commander Hadfield using his spare time to record Bowie covers and Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity staking a claim as best sci-fi film of the millennium (and in 3D, too), but NASA's Voyager-1 probe has become the first man-made object to leave our solar system. That's even more impressive when you consider it's based on technology from 1977, the year when it originally blasted off. The only worry is that when the aliens eventually stumble across it they'll think we all wear flares and platforms and listen to Abba. And have rubbish satellites.
Readers' Gadget of the Year: Nokia Lumia 1020 (£580)
Seems that the mobile phones that you're attracted to aren't just the ones with fingerprint sensors, huge processors or buttons on the back – you want one that's stuffed to the gunwales with megapixels. After weeks of online voting, Nokia's 41MP Lumia 1020 saw off its phoney rivals with ease. No doubt it's the aforementioned snapper that eschews the need for a zoom by letting you crop into its enormous, hugely impressive images. Or its rival-crushing low-light performance. Then again, maybe it's proof positive that amongst expensive iPhones and mixed-up Androids, Nokia's colourful smartphone is becoming the creative alternative – and that Windows Phone is now a force to reckon with.
Home Gadget of the Year: Philips Ambilight + Hue (£varies – Hue Starter Kit £180)
We might not be kicking back to Feelies just yet, but Philips Ambilight TV and Hue is the closest you'll get to Anchorman 2 taking over your entire lounge. LEDs radiate the onscreen colours from all four sides of the Elevation TV, matched by wireless bulbs dotted around the room. Spotlights, the adhesive LightStrip and Disney StoryLight join the multi-coloured light show, plus apps mean you can tweak colours manually, set patterns based on your iTunes and automate switch-ons with IFTTT. A mate-amazing connected home set-up you'll use every day? It's the end of the yellow-tinged, headache-inducing living room as we know it.
TV of the Year: Sony KDL-55X9005A (£3300)
If TVs were priced per pixel, Sony's 4K set should really cost four times as much as its 1080p rivals (that's about £8000). Fortunately they're not, meaning the 55in X9005A actually looks like something of a bargain (if viewed through a particularly smeared shop window). Sure, there's a lack of 4K content out there, but with the early adopter tax set relatively low, one-touch NFC sharing and the fact that it's got the best TV speakers we've ever clapped ears on, Sony's 4K debut is excellent now and will only get better as we get more stuff with the necessary number of pixels to fill it. Forget 3D, four is this year's magic number.
Gadget of the Year: LG G2 (£470)
Not only is the LG G2 a stonking phone (to be reminded, just go back and read why we made the G2 our Phone of the Year), it disrupted the smartphone hegemony that had seen HTC and Samsung taking it in turns to be better than the iPhone. With genuinely useful new features such as KnockOn and a battery that doesn't die before dinner, we hope it's a sign of superphones to come – and we can't wait to see what LG has in store for us next.
LG's mobile renaissance is our story of the year